At Stork Adoption Agency, we recognize that the process of adoption is personal. This is your way to build a family. We are sensitive to your individual needs and the unique services that you may require. With this in mind, we offer each applicant our many years of skilled, professional guidance in a personal and caring manner.

General Steps for International Adoption
1. Submit your application to Stork.
2. File an I-600A with USCIS.
3. Get a Homestudy.
4. Gather required documentation for an adoption Dossier.
5. Your dossier will be translated, processed, and sent to the country of child's residence.
6. Travel.
7. Provide post placement reports.

Immigration
Anyone planning to adopt a child from another country must be approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This process begins with a complete I-600 A form. You can call your local USCIS office and ask for the I-600 A packet, or you can download the form from the USCIS web site. Everyone in the household 18 years and older must have his/her fingerprints taken. It is done at a designated local USCIS location. Fingerprints: where instructed, you must pay a biometric fee for electronically capturing fingerprints, in addition to the base filing fee. You may learn more at the USCIS Fingerprints webpage.

Obtaining USCIS approval is a slow process and can take several months. A home study is required when you submit your I-600 A form, so if you are thinking about adoption, begin your home study as soon as possible.

Children are not always granted citizenship upon adoption. You can read about this further in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (click to follow the link and run a search on the act).

To learn about inter-country adoption processes go to USCIS web site. Another good place to start is with the booklet, The Immigration of Adopted and Prospective Adopted Children.

Preparing a Home Study
The Home Study should be prepared by an adoption investigator, sometimes called a social worker, who works in a domestic or international child placing agency. When you register with Stork, we will send you detailed home study requirements which you may pass on to the person preparing your home study. For Iowa residents, we have a social worker who will complete your home study. If you live in another state or country, we will help you find an adoption investigator to do this for you. When your home study is complete, Stork will re-certify your home study.

Preparing a Dossier
We will help you to prepare a dossier. As we receive your registration, we will send you a list of documents and detailed instructions. Dossier requirements vary from region to region.

Certifying or Apostilling Documents
All countries require that your original adoption documents be notarized. The process of having documents certified or apostilled by the Secretary of State is to verify that the notary is a true registered notary in that state. Each state has a Secretary of State, or an office that will verify the notary on your documents.

Contact the Secretary of State to confirm the fee for having a document certified or apostilled. Send your documents to the Secretary of State with the appropriate fee and a cover letter stating that the documents are for the purpose of ADOPTION. List the country that you are adopting from to ensure that your documents receive the correct certification. Be sure to include a preaddressed envelope so that your documents can be returned to you promptly.

Where to apply in your state: follow the link Find Your State

Travel
We will provide you with all the necessary information on air travels, visas, translators, drivers, accommodations, etc. Please visit our Travel Page for more information.